Wand of Infinity
by cleverun
Summary: Ben discoverers a piece of alien technology that can create ANYTHING, from toy motorcycles to an army of the undead. But, it comes at a terrifying price...
1. Chapter 1

Ben, Gwen, Kevin, and Julie were playing soccer at a park nearby their school. Ben had a soccer game to prepare for, and Gwen and Julie were happy to help him. Of course, Gwen dragged Kevin into this, using persuasions such as "He's your friend!" and "It's a good time to hang out."

Julie passed the soccer ball to Kevin, but the boy acted less than prepared for the pass, and Gwen easily stole it.

"Kevin, why didn't you catch it?" Julie complained.

"Hey, I wanted to be the goalie." Kevin replied.

"For the last time, Kevin, there are only four players, so we can't have goalies!"

While attempting to make a pass to her cousin, Gwen accidentally kicked the ball towards a more fecund part of the park.

"I'll get it!" Ben was saying as he ran off to the tree-covered area the ball landed in.

"It's getting late," Kevin said. "Not to mention that I still have to get back to fixing my car from the last dude we fought that wrecked it- _again_."

"Well, it _is _getting late," Gwen replied. "Alright, we'll go. I'll tell Ben we're leaving." Gwen faced the direction her cousin was in. "Ben, we're going home now!"

"Yeah, I'll be there in a minute!" Ben replied. He grabbed the soccer ball and was about to get up, but something glimmering in the roots caught his eye. He knelt down and brushed a shrub out of the way. Slowly, he picked up an object shaped like a very fat match. The thing was about half the size of his hand. The top half was circular and appeared to be covered in some sort of liquid ink. The bottom half was sort of triangular, and appeared to be made of some sort of metal. Ben waved the thing in the air, and the ink-like substance flowed in the air as thick ink would in water, and then hung there. He was confused by this, and was planning to show this Gwen and Kevin so they could examine it together. But in the back of his head, the less focused and more playful side of him thought the ink in the air sort of looked like a toy motorcycle. This thought had little meaning to Ben at that moment, but at the next second, the ink-like substance turned into a toy motorcycle. Amazed, he waved the wand-like object through the air, again leaving a trail of the ink-substance. This time he thought of a flower he had once read in a fantasy book, but never saw in real life. It wasn't magic- no; he didn't want to take too many risks. It was just a pretty flower. And there it was, right in front of him, the ink transforming into the flower he had thought of. Every detail was met. He grabbed the flower with both hands and felt the texture. Yes, it was real. Right then was probably the best time to tell Gwen and Kevin of the discovery, but something kept Ben from telling them. He didn't know why, but there was a voice in the back of his head telling him not to tell anyone of this. While the thought had no obvious motive, but Ben didn't argue with it. Ben shoved the thing in his back pocket, and then put the two items he had created in the pocket in his jacket. He grabbed the ball and ran back to his two friends.

"What took you so long?" Kevin asked.

"Nothing," Ben said. They climbed into Kevin's car.

Once they all got strapped in, Ben said, "Hey Jules, got you something," He then took the flower he created out of his jacket and handed it to Julie.

"Aw, Ben, that's so sweet," Julie was saying as she accepted the flower.

Kevin started the engine. "Nothing, huh?" He said playfully.

They drove back to their homes, unaware of the danger they were about to face…


	2. Chapter 2

A/N: Everyone's picking on the Forever Knights.

Ben collapsed on his bed, tired from the long day. While driving back home, the four encountered their good friends, the Forever Knights. That fight wasted their whole night, which was time Ben could've spent experimenting with the new keyhole-shaped technology that created anything from nothing. Now that he was back at home, sleeping was out of the question. He dug into his back pocket and pulled out the keyhole-shaped technology, of which he began to refer to as the Wand.

Ben balanced the Wand above his face between his two index fingers. _The Wand_, He thought. _What are you?_

Ben waved the Wand in the air, creating a trail of what he referred to as Ink, not only because they had similar features, but because they could both create an infinite number of images. He then imagined a CD, and, just as he expected, the Ink turned into a compact disc, which fell into his hands. He then walked over to his computer and inserted the disc. He pressed play, and the computer played the music Ben had expected. _Alright_, he thought, _so it can copy data. Cool. Now, for another experiment…_

Ben created more Ink, which turned into an éclair. He sniffed it. _It's too dangerous to eat myself. What if I accidentally poisoned it? I could give it to the dog… no, it's chocolate. He'd die, and I wouldn't know- I mean, I don't want to lose my dog, of course. Maybe if…_

Ben walked into the dining room and laid the éclair on the table. He then hid behind the counter and waited, until finally his mother walked in.

"Hm," Ben heard her say. He poked his head out of the side of the counter and watched her sniff it. She ate the whole thing, then left.

_God, what was I thinking? _Ben thought. _Testing it on my own mother? I hope she'll be alright…_ He got up and walked into the living room, just as his mother had.

"Mom, are you feeling okay?" Ben asked.

"I'm fine," Sandra answered. "Why?"

"Oh, um…" Ben thought. "…One of my classmates got sick, and I was worried that it might be a new illness going around."

"Oh, alright," Ben's mom replied.

"Just tell me if you feel anything," Ben walked into his room. _That was a good save, _Ben thought. _I don't think she'll suspect anything. God, I'm smart…_

(Transition)

"So you're fine, right mom?" Ben asked.

"Yes, Ben, I'm fine," Sandra replied again. Ben had been asking her this for the past hour.

"Alright, just making sure," Ben said. He went inside his room and made another éclair with the wand. This time, he ate the whole thing himself. "The taste of a flawless experiment is sweet," he sucked on his fingers and added, "and sticky. Now, for another experiment…."

Ben waved the wand once more, and a hundred dollar bill floated into his hands. He held it up to the light.

"Ha," Ben was saying, "easy money."

Just as he was pocketing the money, however, he felt a massive wave of guilt. He selfishly tested on his mother, not caring what would happen to her, and then obtained money illegally. He looked at his reflection at the butt of the wand.

He asked, "What's wrong with me?"

A/N: I know it's short, but I've been having serious writer's block on all three of my stories.


	3. Chapter 3

A/N: I completely forgot about this story. I'm sorry; I must be a horrible author. :p Special thanks to layzrshark for the favorite to this story, I would have never remembered the story existed otherwise.

Ben was driving. He thought of it as a good way to clear his mind. And he definitely needed his mind clear.

The Wand was in his drawer. He was scared of it. He didn't know what it was, how or why it could do what it could, but one thing he knew for certain- it made him do bad things. Not only that, it made him _think_ bad things. Worst of all, he was drawn to it now as one would be drawn to a lover.

Again, he was scared.

_I have to get rid of it_, he thought, but he couldn't. _I have to destroy it_. But he just couldn't. In fact, he was fighting the urge to drive back home and cradle the Wand, and it took nearly all his willpower. He was surprised he could think at all.

"_Incoming message from Julie Yamamoto_," his car said.

_I don't like her_, he thought suddenly, and just as quickly, he thought, _what? Of course I like her. She's my girlfriend_. But even as he thought this, he felt uncertain, almost as if a beast inside him was unimpressed. He was very scared now.

"Answer call," He replied.

"Ben?" said Julie's voice.

"Hey, Jules," Ben replied, trying to sound calm.

"Ben, your parents called me, along with Gwen and Kevin. You haven't been home for hours and hadn't told anyone where you were going. Where are you?"

Ben was quietly shocked. He had no idea he had been out for so long. "I went out for a drive," he replied honestly. "I guess I lost track of time. I'm coming home."

"Thank you, Ben," Julie said.

Ben ended the call. He wanted to drive away as fast as he could, but it was that strong longing for the Wand that took him home. The longer he drove, the closer he wanted to be to it. By the time he got home, it overpowered him. He ran straight to his room and cradled the Wand to his breast.

"I'm sorry I thought those awful things about you," He whispered to it. "I'll never leave you behind again."

And he was no longer frightened. Because the moment he picked the Wand back up again, he was no longer Ben.

Gwen and Kevin were on a date in Burger Shack. Gwen seemed to find her food more appealing to play with than to eat.

"Hey," Gwen said suddenly, "remember a few days ago when Ben went on that really long drive?"

"Yeah," Kevin said, "What about it?"

"Do you think Ben's been acting odd recently?"

"What do you mean?"

"Well… he's been acting kind of… secluded. He's not talking to people as much as he use to, and he spends a lot of his time taking a drive, but never tells anyone where he's going. Come to think of it… he's been acting weird since that day in the park."

"So?"

Gwen was getting annoyed. "So, I'm getting a little worried. What's he up to?" Gwen asked the question more to herself than to Kevin.

"What, you want us to spy on him?"

With the suggestion in the open, Kevin realized he didn't need an answer.

Ben was at the park. It was the very same park where he found the Wand, in the very same fecund area. He was experimenting with the Wand, though to an onlooker, it would look more like a sacred ritual. He was hidden in the bushes like an uncivilized villager, and his legs were crossed. When he created with the Wand, he held it high above his head, and let his creations fall to the ground. He held the Wand to his chest every spare moment he got, and cooed it as one would to a child. So far, he created a sandwich, a book, and a cup of soda. Then he began to get more serious, creating a block of gold, a silver locket, and a fistful of small diamonds.

He was looking at the creations when a thought suddenly invaded his mind.

_Why just keep to myself? I have so much power now, maybe more than that of the Ultimatrix. Why not show the world who's boss?_ Ben agreed to this, at the time not knowing that a normal person can create thoughts and wouldn't need to agree to it. _I'll start with those morons, Cash and JT. They need to be taught a lesson._

Ben created a book bag to hold his creations, and then drove off to his house, planning something unpleasant for two unsuspecting victims that would be in school the next day.


	4. Chapter 4

A/N: I'm on DeviantART as cleverun. I'm open to flames for this story.

Cash and JT were on their usual rounds to harassing the school. Though they didn't bully as much as they did in their youth, that didn't mean they didn't enjoy stealing the occasional lunch money behind Ben's back. But of course, it was quite difficult to do something behind someone's back when they were right in front of you.

"Ben!" JT exclaimed as he rounded the corner of the hallway, soon followed by Cash.

"We weren't doing anything," was Cash's automatic response.

But Ben was relaxed. He was leaning on the lockers, with his arms folded and wearing a sinister expression. "Calm down, guys," he said. "You're not in trouble. I just want to talk to you."

JT looked at Cash nervously. Cash said, "About what?"

Ben shrugged innocently. "Stuff."

The two weren't buying the innocent act; no one in their place would, no matter how stupid.

"Alright," Ben was saying, "you got me. I just wanted to ask you two a question- I know; it already sounds vile, doesn't it?" Ben stopped to give a sickly, unnatural chuckle. "I wanted to ask you two… if you would ever devote your life to something."

The bullies looked at each other. "You mean…" JT said, "…fighting crime?"

"No," Ben said. "It's something less demanding. Something simple, even, and can result in great fortune, eventually."

He had the two at "great fortune". "What is it?" Cash asked in excitement and wonder.

Ben smiled and pulled out the wand.

Gwen and Kevin decided to begin their spying immediately after school. Gwen had called him to find out where he was going, but decided to leave out the fact that she would be following him there, which was soccer practice.

"I still think you're making a big deal out of nothing," Kevin said, getting out of the car.

"I don't think so," Gwen replied seriously, doing the same action. "Remember all those other times he was acting weird? Like with Albedo and what happened to Big Chill?"

"So? What if he's just having a teen crisis for once?"

Gwen shook her head. There was no point in arguing. "Let's just check it out, and then one of us can say 'I told you so', okay?"

Of course Gwen would never let Kevin say "I told you so," but he held his tongue.

Gwen walked onto the field. Practice had just begun. She approached one of Ben's teammates.

"Hey, Lance," Gwen said, familiar with Ben's friend. "Is Ben still in the locker room?"

"Oh no," Lance replied. "Ben didn't show up today. He said something about having something more important to do. I was sure he was with you guys."

As if to answer the many questions rising in their heads, Gwen's phone rang. When she answered, the first thing she heard was:

"Ben attacked us."

Cash and JT were at the hospital. Cash had a broken arm and a shattered foot, but JT seemed unharmed. JT filled them in on what happened.

"…Then he pulled out some weird metal-inky thing, and used it to make money out of thin air. Thin air! He called it the Wand. We thought it might have been some sort of trick, like a prank, you know? But then he started acting creepy, so we tried to back away. And, well, you can guess what happened next."

"What do you mean creepy?" Gwen asked.

"I mean, he seemed to worship the thing. He kept cradling it in his hands."

"What 'thing'?" Kevin asked. "What exactly did it look like?"

"It was shaped like a key hole," Cash replied. "It looked like it was made of stainless steel. And there was a bunch of black stuff leaking from the top."

"Does that sound familiar?" Gwen asked.

"No," Kevin said. "Nothing I've heard of sounds anything like that."

"You're kidding," Gwen said. But she knew by the sound of his voice that he wasn't. "We need to find out what that thing is. Cash, JT, did he say where he was going?"

"No," answered JT, "But I can guess." He pointed to the TV in the corner of the room. It was broadcasting chaos in Jackson Street. A house that appeared to have been abandoned for decades was coughing up odd creatures- skeletons, zombies, vampires, the works.

"Is he really capable of doing something like that?" Gwen asked.

"We don't really know what he's capable of anymore," Kevin replied.

Ben was in a bad mood. He was walking down the street, about to cross over to Jackson Street. That moron Cash dared to insult the Wand and his devotion to it. Didn't he know how important the Wand was? Hadn't he shown him? The Wand was capable of creating anything- it could be god itself, for all anyone knew. Scowling, he thought back to what happened:

_The two hooligans were rather uncertain at what they were looking at when Ben presented the Wand, but their attentions were promptly caught when Ben began producing massive amounts of money with it. Ben's original plan was to lure them to a private place and unleash a new trick he had taught himself onto them. That new trick was the ability to create new creatures with the use of the Wand. He had practiced at home. Producing an actual living creature was harder than it sounded, though. The first attempt was messy. He attempted to create a rodent, but was disappointed with the appearance of a rodent-shaped blob of barely living tissue. Creating living creatures was not as easy as creating inanimate objects. But, after some practice, focus, and mental scolding for attempting to create weak creatures, Ben eventually ended up with a fist-sized Strigoi. The technique was to focus on one organ at a time. The thing looked adorable, but Ben had no question if it was deadly. The thing, Timmy, he called it, was currently living in his closet, content with its comfortable red pajamas and bag of warm type O blood._

_Back to the event on hand, Cash and JT were delighted to follow him. But then that idiot Cash began to ask questions, such as, "How can it do that?"_

_Ben winced when he said that. He should have just told Cash to shut up and follow him. But he couldn't._

"_It's not an _it_," Ben said defensively. "It's called the Wand."_

"_Well, whatever" continued Cash, "just as long as it can make us money."_

_JT was obviously the smarter one in the situation. He began to notice something was wrong, but was apparently too scared to give his partner the "shut up before you screw this up" face._

"_No, not whatever," Ben snapped. "The Wand can make anything. I think it deserves a little more respect than you're giving it."_

_The two studied the hero. He was holding the device close to his chest, as one mother would protect a child. Only at that moment did Cash take his mind off the possibility of making easy money and realize that Ben was acting extremely odd._

"_Uh, okay, dude," JT said first. "I think me and Cash should be heading home soon…."_

"Why_?" Ben snapped, an edge in his voice causing both Cash and JT to jump almost violently. "Is it because you think I'm crazy? Is it because I can actually see what the Wand can do? Is it because I give it the respect it deserves? Because you two can't see that, it seems like I'm out of my mind? Is that it? Are you guys capable of being taught some respect? Or do I have to show you by force?"_

"_No," the duo said simultaneously._

"_Good," Ben said. "Then I bet you can prove that to me by bowing down to the Wand."_

_The two fell into a shocked silence. He looked serious. Were they really willing to give up enough pride to bow down to an inanimate object in the middle of a public school hallway? If not, how much damage was this new deranged Ben capable of?_

"_Now," Ben said testily. When the two did nothing, Ben barked a third time, "NOW!"_

_Ben's direction had so much venom in it that JT obeyed immediately, falling to all fours and hanging his head. But unfortunately, Cash's mind didn't move fast enough. Neither could his body, apparently, when a heavy sledge hammer came crashing down at his foot. But then the hammer did appear out of thin air._

_He deserved that_, Ben thought. _How dare he insult the Wand_.

Ben stopped in front of the abandoned house he was looking for. _Perfect_, he thought. _There'll be nothing but me and the Wand if I live here. Maybe I can make a whistle to call Timmy over…._ But then, he thought of a more devious plan. _What if I terrorized Bellwood from here? What if… I create pets like Timmy? Pets who would love me and obey me, and I can set them off to destroy Bellwood… until they give me power? And maybe not just Bellwood. I can rule the world. Hell, I can rule the galaxy. The universe. I can create anything._

_I am unstoppable._


	5. Chapter 5

A/N: For those of you following me on , the story appears much neater on DeviantART. As in, transitions are noticeable.

Gwen and Kevin were driving to Jackson Street in undoubtedly illegal speeds.

Ben was sick. Gwen was sure of it. There's no way he would act like this if he was normal. It must have been caused by the thing… the Wand. But where did he get it? Then, she remembered:

"Kevin, remember that day at the park, when we were playing soccer to help Ben?"

"Yeah," Kevin replied, eyes glued to the road.

"That flower he picked for Julie… I've never seen it before. Do you think he might've made it with…?"

"Yeah, that makes sense. Only thing is, what would a dangerous piece of alien tech be doing in the middle of a public park?"

"Guess we can figure that out later. We're here."

Kevin pulled over in front of what appeared to be a haunted house gone haywire. Frightening creatures of myth and fairytale came pouring out of the house.

Kevin absorbed his car. He looked at Gwen. She nodded. They charged in, full force.

"Look, Timmy, my old friends have come back," Ben said. He was in the attic, the Strigoi in hand, looking at Gwen and Kevin fighting their way into the house. He looked at them sadly. "I hope they worship the Wand. I might actually be sad if I end up having to kill them." He watched them as they eventually made it to the balcony of the house. "Come, now, Timmy. We have to greet our guests."

Gwen and Kevin were fighting gorgons, vampires, werewolves, some weird vampire things Gwen said were called Strigoi, but they were finally able to make their way into the house. There were still monsters in the house; in fact, they were bigger and there were much more of them, but they held back. Ben was looking down at them from a balcony of some sort.

"Hey," He said, as if it were a typical day.

"Ben, why are you doing this?" Gwen asked.

"Those who do not worship the Wand of Infinity do not deserve to live," Ben said flatly, as if that was the most obvious thing in the world.

"Everyone deserves to live!" Gwen said. "You almost killed yourself to let the ultimate forms live free. You saved one man's life when you had the chance to stop the Highbreed invasion. This isn't you."

"This _is_ me," Ben countered. "The new me. The educated me. I am living the true life; a life of worship. Join me, and everything will go back to the way it was. Just the three of us. Friends forever."

"No, Ben," Gwen replied.

Ben's previous look of calm melted into a hideous look of anger and annoyance. The monsters reflected his mood, though it was hardly needed. "NO! NO! It's always NO! I hate that fucking word! I'm not crazy, Gwen! Why can't you just open your eyes and see that?"

"I think squinting really hard would work better," Kevin said.

"Can't you see?" Ben said. "I really wanted us to be friends! Not like undeserving non-worshipers. Like retarded Cash and JT. They didn't deserve to be introduced to the Wand. And I gave that bitch Julie my very second creation. And mother, my first food! I should have put more trust in the Wand and eaten it myself, not give it to _her_ to see if it was safe. Of course it was safe! Idiot!"

"Wait," Gwen said, "You almost poisoned Aunt Sandra? Your own mother?"

"What does it matter? The food was safe! There was no risk! But, I have to kill them both. They don't deserve what they've been given!"

"Kill them?" Kevin yelled.

"Please, Ben, stop! This isn't the Ben I know!" Gwen pleaded.

Ben looked at his old teammates with a crazed look in his eyes. "The Ben you knew is DEAD!" He declared. "And I'll prove it to you!" With a sick, twisted laugh that made the two cringe, he yelled to his army: "KILL THEM!"

"Time to knock some sense into him," Kevin said, absorbing the floorboards. "I'll distract them; you try to get to crazy."

"He's not crazy," Gwen protested, throwing energy disks at a few of the closest. "He's just sick."

Kevin turned his fist into a mallet and whacked a nearby goblin. "Well, then here's your chance to cure him. Go!"

As Kevin fought, Gwen created stairs from manna and began to climb. She barely took more than three steps before a vampire in half bat form flew up and attacked her. She threw up a shield in time, but with everything going on at once, it was difficult to concentrate. She threw a few manna discs until the vampire fell. She continued to tread.

Three meter-tall green-skinned elves ran toward Kevin at full speed. They were ugly creatures, really. He batted them away like big rats. "You kids have been eating too much spinach," he commented.

A demon, a Strigoi, and yet another goblin charged at him this time. He swung his mallet-hand at the demon, but missed. The creature delivered a blow to his face so powerful that wood chipped off his face and he was sent running backwards, right into the goblin's clutches. The goblin clapped both hands hard on either side of the teen's head. He crossed his eyes and fell.

"Kevin!" Gwen yelled.

"Fine," Kevin said, getting up. "Just a little dizzy." He then absorbed an exposed pipe and turned both fists into mallets. He ran to the goblin and delivered a blow to the torso and three to the head. The creature fell.

Kevin knocked the unsettled soul of Roman mythology unconscious. The demon, however, was sturdier. He staggered a bit after one blow, but delivered a rapid volley of punches so fast Kevin hadn't any idea how many times he'd been hit. He finally morphed one of his hands into a blade and used it to shield himself from the blows. The creature stopped his attack, only to ram his massive horns against him. He deflected it, but the force of the blow left him dizzy. Kevin slashed at the beast, but the skin was so tough, he was surprised he didn't create sparks. The demon prepared to deliver another volley, but the teen hit him with five blows from a mace hand. The creature finally fell.

Kevin ran forward and felt a sharp, burning pain in his right arm. He yelped in pain and rubbed the area. Then, he felt it again in his left arm. It felt like a bullet.

"Who keeps doing that?" He yelled. A giant moth suddenly appeared in front of his face. He almost shooed it off, but he realized that it was actually a tiny woman with wings. An ugly, blue-skinned woman with toothpicks for teeth and black holes for eyes. It made a fist and whacked Kevin right in the nose. It probably would have been broken had he not absorbed the pipe earlier. It attacked him again and again; all the while Kevin kept attempting to swat it away like a mosquito.

"Ow!" He yelled. "Ah, skip this." He morphed his hand into a fly swatter. It worked like a charm. He thought he could almost hear her scream as he smacked her out of the air.

Kevin found himself face to face with a troll. It had brown, lumpy skin and had the build of two very fit men, but half the height of one. He thwacked the beast between his too-far-apart eyes. It shook its head and roared at him.

Kevin couldn't resist. "Problem?" He asked.

The beast charged. He hit him two more times, and it stared stupidly at him before falling.

Shortly after defeating the vampire, Gwen found herself in a knot with a few harpies. She found that she could take them on one at a time, although it was still difficult to concentrate. But after the first three, they began coming in groups. They came first two at a time, then five at a time, until it was simply too much. She lost her concentration and fell to the ground like a rock.

"Gwen!" Kevin yelled. He ran to her.

"I'm fine," She said. She put up a shield before they were torn to shreds by the harpies.

"Now what?" Kevin asked.

Gwen looked at one particularly vicious harpy for a short period of time. Suddenly, she said, "I have a plan. Follow my lead." She lowered her shield and grabbed onto the thick, hairy neck of one harpy. Mildly surprised, Kevin followed her lead.

Both of them would have preferred to be on the back of an enraged bull. The creatures flew wildly in attempt to shake them off. After what felt like an eternity, the beasts flew directly over the balcony. They both let go, landing right behind Ben in a less than majestic manner.

Ben looked at them with a pained expression. "Why are you doing this?" He asked softly. "We could have been friends."

The little Strigoi in his hand hissed.

"Ben," Gwen said in a soothing voice. "We just fought through the force that has been created by the Wand. Our eyes have been opened. We're ready to worship." Kevin looked at her, and she gave him a look that said: _Play along_.

Ben was skeptical; although it was obvious he didn't want to be. "…Prove it." He said.

"What do we need to prove?" Gwen said. "The Wand is so obviously perfect and powerful. It needs to be worshiped." They both got down on their knees and bowed.

"All hail the Wand," Kevin said, "The all perfect and all powerful."

Ben began to cry tears of joy. "You see it! You really see it!"

"Please, Ben," Gwen said. "Let me hold the all mighty and all powerful. I want to touch it."

"Of course," Ben said, "Who wouldn't?" He knelt down and handed over the device. Gwen cradled it with both hands.

A sphere of manna then surrounded the device. It shrank, destroying the thing. The sphere dissolved, leaving a fine black powder to fall on the floor.

As soon as this happened, all the creatures turned into a black, liquid substance. Pools of it spilled onto the floor. All creatures and creations were destroyed.

Gwen relaxed. The threat was gone. Which meant Ben was back to normal.

"You okay, Ben?" She asked.

But as soon as she glanced his way, she could see that he was not okay.

He was almost as pale and grey as a Strigoi. His entire frame was shaking. His knees buckled under him, and he collapsed on all fours.

"Ben!" Gwen yelled. Both she and Kevin came to his aid.

It was true that Sandra had eaten food produced by the wand, but that was a week ago. It would have passed through her system, and at the very most, she would be sick for a couple of days. Ben, on the other hand, had been eating nothing but food produced by the Wand for days. His systems were filled with Ink, and it was wreaking havoc on his body.

Ben flopped to his side. The black substance poured out of his mouth and eyes seemingly endlessly. The horrible hacking sound he made betrayed the fact that he couldn't breathe.

"Ben, no! Kevin, we have to get him to a hospital!"

"No, Gwen!" Kevin said, "We shouldn't touch him."

Gwen was near panic. "But an ambulance would take too long! And he needs help _now_!"

Kevin's mouth turned dry. Neither had ever been in such a dire situation. There had always been a way out of tough situations. But now, it seemed as if all they could do was watch as their friend suffered. That was _not _an option they liked at all.

The hero's entire frame racked violently with failed attempts to breathe. His lips were turning blue.

"Ben…" Gwen was saying.

Ben looked both his friends in the eye. With the last ounce of strength he had left, he managed to utter one word:

"Sorry."

He didn't move again.

A/N: There's still an epilogue.


	6. Epilouge

Gwen and Kevin did, in fact, call an ambulance. Unfortunately, Ben died immediately after he spoke his last word. Doubled with the fact that his system was filled with Ink, there was no hope of reviving him.

It was very difficult for the two to explain what had happened to their friends and family. When they did, they made sure to leave out the flower and the éclair. Mentioning it, they felt, would only disrespect his memory by creating more shock and confusion. He was a good man, and he was sick. His last word proved that.

Gwen, Kevin, Sandra, Carl, Max, Natalie, Frank, Ken, Mannie, Helen, Peirce, Alan, Cooper, Julie, Verdona, Vera, Betty, and Gordon arrived at his funeral, to name a few. His fans were holding their own "funeral" in a park a few hours after the real one. Of course, how he really died had never been released to the public. They had simply been told that he died fighting an evil force, although Gwen couldn't shake the feeling that Ben would have wanted them to know the truth. It gnawed at her through the whole event.

His grave stone read: _Here lies Ben Tennyson, friend to many, hero to all_. They all thought it was fitting.

As they lowered his body, Gwen uncharacteristically bursted into tears. Kevin lent her a shoulder. He was a comfort, but her pain was no less.

After the funeral, Gwen and Kevin stayed behind. Kevin didn't want to, but Gwen had her eyes glued to the headstone.

"You okay?" Kevin asked. He immediately cursed himself for asking. Of course she wasn't okay. Their best friend just died.

Gwen interrupted his thoughts when she knelt down in front of the grave stone. Kevin walked up to her to see what she was doing.

Gwen formed a circle of manna on her finger and released a stream of energy to the bottom of the rock, cutting it. Or rather, engraving it, as Kevin now realized.

When she finished, Kevin felt satisfied with her addition. No doubt she felt the same way. He gently put a hand on her shoulder. "C'mon," He said. "Let's go home."

Gwen left the cemetery with Kevin's arm over her shoulders.

His headstone now read:

_Here lies Ben Tennyson, friend to many, hero to all._

_He had no reason to apologize._


End file.
